Automatic shutter-release for cameras.



M. J. BARNETT.

AUTOMATIC SHUTTER RELEASE FOR CAMERAS. APPLICATION FILED MAY I9. 1915.

Patented Feb. 1, 1916.

INVENTOR, I K 1g? g. 20 v/ M Z4. 44%

. 5 A TTORNEY THE COLUMBIA PLANOGRAPH cm, WASHINGTON, D. c

rinrrnn 'srnrns 'rairnnr MORRISSON J. BARNETT, OF SAN FRANCISCO, CALIFORNIA, ASSIGNOR, BY MESNE ASSIGNMENTS, '10 ALONZO GBIMES, TRUSTEE, 0F MILL VALLEY, CALIFORNIA.

AUTUMATIC SHUTTER-RELEASE FOR CAMERAS.

icense.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Feb. l, 1916.

Application filed May 19, 1915. Serial No. 29,103.

To aZZ whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, Monursson J. BAR- NETT, a citizen of the United States, residing at San Francisco, in the county of San Francisco and State of California, have invented new and useful Improvements in Automatic Shutter-Releases for Cameras, of which the following is a. specification.

The present invention relates to automatic devices for operatin the shutters of photographic machines ofallkinds, the principal use of such devices being to enable the operator to place the camera at any desired location, and then wall: to a distant point and take a position in front of the camera to form a part of the picture.

The object of the present invention is to provide a device of this character which will e simple, compact and durable.

In the accompanying drawing, Figure 1 is a longitudinal section of the apparatus; Fig. 2 is a plan view thereof, the casing being removed; Fig. 3 is a plan view ofthe apparatus in its collapsed position; Fig. 4. is a broken side elevation of the same showing the casing latch in side elevation; Fig. 5 is a detail bottom plan view of a ratchet wheel and rack; Fig. 6 is a similar view of a modification of the rack; Fig. 7 is a side view of a locking device; Fig. 8 is a broken side View of a pneumatic tube to be used with the apparatus; Fig. 9 is a similar view of a release cable.

Referring to the drawing, 1 indicates an oblong casing, closed on all four longitudinal sides and at one end and open at the other end. Through said open end are inserted the working parts of the apparatus, which parts comprise a cylinder 2 rigidly secured at one end to a square end plate 3,

which closes theopen end of the apparatus,

and to which is rigidly secured a spring latching bar 4, the free end of which is bent downwardly, as clearly shown in Fig. 4, to form a latch to enter a hole 5 in the bottom side of said casing. By pressing inwardly said latch and at the same time pressing the cylinder longitudinally outward, the cylinder can be withdrawn. The other'inner end of said cylinder extends through a round hole in the closed end of the apparatus. In the inner surface of said cylinder, near said first-named end, is formed a groove 6, in

which is contained a split expanding ring 7. Through said ring extends a tubular plunger 8, the inner end of which is closed by a head 9 sliding snugly in the cylinder 2, and between said head and ring is a compressed spring 10 coiled around the plunger. Ahead 11, secured to the other end of said plunger, has a lateral extension 12, and to said lateral extension is secured, as shown at 13, one end of a bar 14-, formed at its other end into a rack 15, which slides in a guide 16 formed by the curled over edge of a plate 17 secured to the upper side of said cylinder 2. The teeth of this rack are adapted to engage a pinion 18 secured to a bushing 19 rotatable on a shaft 20 erected on the guide plate 17, said bushing being also secured to a ratchet wheel 21. A gear wheel 22 is rotatable on said bushing, being held in place by a flange 23 of said bushing. One end of a nearly circular spring 2% is rigidly secured to said gear wheel 22 and the other end is formed with a tooth or dog 25, past which the ratchet wheel can rotate in one direction, but which engages and holds the ratchet wheel when rotating in the other direction.

When the plunger 8 has been drawn outward against the force of the springlO, by means of the head 11, the ratchet wheel 21 is rotated by means of the rack 15, but its teeth slip past the dog 25, and the gear wheel 22 is not thereby rotated, but when the head 11 is released, then the spring 10 acts to return the plunger to its original position, causing the ratchet wheel 21 to rotate in the opposite direction and causing also the gear wheel 22 to rotate in the same direction. Said gear wheel meshes with a trundle pinion 26 which is rigidly attached to a gear wheel 27-, both the pinion and gear wheel being rotatable about a shaft 28 stepped in, and rigidly secured to, the guide plate 17, and the upper end of which is received in a socket in a bent arm 29 pivoted, as shown at 30, to the guide plate 17, and which thus serves to maintain in position the wheels on the shaft 28. Said gear wheel 27 meshes in turn with a trundle pinion 31 rotatable around a reduced portion 32 of the shaft 20,

and abutting against a shoulder of said under side of a heavy escapement disk 35 oscillating upon the shaft 28.

A pin 36 depends through a slot 37 in the casing 1 from the under side 01 a stop plate 38 pivoted at 39 on said casing. When said stop plate 38 is in the position shown in full lines in Fig. 3, the pin 86 is in such a position that it abuts against a raised portion 40 of the escapement disk and prevents it oscillating, and renders the device inoperative, but when the plate 38 is moved to the position shown in dotted lines, the escapement'diskcan oscillate freely, and the device is operative.

, To use the apparatus, the head ll of a release' rod 42 is inserted in the cylinder 2, untilthe head 43 of the casing of the release rod "is pressed against a ring at secured in saidcylinder. A locking device 4-5 having a finger 46 and a yoke-shaped lower portion guided in the casing is depressed, so that the sides of the yoke pass through slots a7 cut in the sides of the cylinder and said yoke extends around the casing head 43 of the release'rod. It thus holds the casing head in position abutting against the rin It results from this that, when the plunger has been drawn out, as before described, and released, the head of the plunger, after it has returned 'througha certain distance, abuts against the head of the rod 42, and presses it back until the release rod releases the shutter action.

When a pneumatic release is used, the

rubber tube having a bulb is dispensed with and a rubber tube i8 is used within the outer endof which is a short metallic tube 49 hav ingaflange 50. This flange is held against the ringed in the same way as the head 43 of'thecasin Instead of using a long rack 15, a short rack 51, as shown in Fig. 6, is now used. When this short rack has moved out of engagement with the pinion, the plunger immediately moves forward under-the action of the compressed coiled spring and forcibly compresses the air within the cylinder, which thereupon operates the. shutter in the same manner as that compressed within the pneumatic bulb.

I claim:

1. Thecombination of an open-ended cylinder', a plunger within the cylinder, a spring forpressing said plunger toward said open end, a train of gearing one end of which is operatively connected to said plunger, an escapement operatively connected to said train,

and means for securing in the open end of the cylinder an end of a releasing device.

2. The combination of an open-ended cylinder, a plunger within the cylinder, a spring forfpressing said plunger toward said open end, a train of gearing one end of which is operatively connected to said plunger, an escapement'operatively connected to said train, means for securing in the open end of the cylinder an end of a releasing device, and

means for rendering said train operative or inoperative as desired. a

3. The combination of a casing having a hole in one end, a cylinder within said casing, having an open end projecting through saidhole, a plunger within the. cylinder, a springfor pressing said plunger toward said open end, a rack moving with the plunger, a pinion engaging said rack, a train of gearing one end of which is operatively connected to said pinion, an escapement operatively connected to the other end of said train, and means for securing in the open end of the cylinderv an end of a releasingdevice.

4. The combination of a casing having a hole in one end,-a cylinder within said casing, having an open endprojecting through said hole, a plunger within the cylinder, a spring for pressing said plunger toward said open end, a rack moving with the plunger, a pinion engaging said rack, a train of gearing one end of which is operatively connected to said pinion, an escapement operativcly connected to the other end of said train, and means for securing in the open end of the cylinder an end of a releasing device, comprising a fixed ring in the cylinder against which said end is adapted to abut, and a transversely movable 1 device adapted to be moved on opposite sides of said releasing device, said cylinder having opposite slots in which said transversely movable device can slide;

5. The combination of a casing having a hole in one end, an open-ended cylinder-- within said casing and projecting through said hole, a coiled spring'within the cylinder, means in the cylinder against which one end of said coiled spring abuts,a plunger extending through said'means, a head therefor within the cylinder against which the other end of the spring abuts, a head fot the other end of the plunger, a bar secured to said head and formed with a rack, a guide for said rack, a pinion engaging said rack,

a train of gearingone end of whichis operatively connected to said pinion and comprising-a ratchet wheel, and a spring dog" engaging said ratchet wheel and preventing relative movement thereof in one direction,

while permitting it in the 'otherdirection,

an escapement operatively connected to the other end of said train, and means for se-- curing in the cylinder an'end of a releas ingdevlce.

6. The combination of a casing having a hole in one end and a hole in a side thereof, a cyllndcr within said casing, having an open end projecting through said hole in the end of the casing, a spring latching bar rigidly secured at one end to the cylinder, the other end being bent to form a latch adapted to enter the hole in the side of the casing, --a coiled spring within the'cylinder,

means in the other end of the cylinder against which one end of said coiled spring abuts, a plunger extending through said means, a head therefor within the cylinder against which the other end of the spring abuts, a head for the other end of the plunger, a bar secured to said head and formed with a rack, a guide for said rack, a pinion engaging said rack, a train of gearing one end of which is operatively connected to said pinion and comprising a ratchet wheel, and a spring dog engaging said ratchet wheel and preventing relative movement thereof MORRISSON J. BARNETT.

Witnesses:

FRANCIS M. WRIGHT, D. B. RICHARDS.

Copies of this patent mav be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents. Washington, D. G. 

